Life’s full of surprises. I realized, while fixing myself a chocolate spread sandwich, that I never imagined the Apocalypse could possibly be so good. For once, nobody’s telling me to get out of the house or put on trousers, everything and everyone is online (and mutable), and nobody will be popping around unexpectantly — I’m going to be clean up and interruption-free for weeks. But not everything is hazelnut-flavored goodness, and we’re all taking strain, even if the easing of lockdown is in sight for some of us.
Maybe it’s time for a team huddle? Now, I’m not going to be presumptuous and tell you how to live your life; your situation and what you’re dealing with is very different from mine. Right now we might all find a little good advice useful, and I have some ideas to share, but your mileage may vary. Here are a few things I’ve learned from years of working from home, online.
Exercise
Wrestle the dog, do couch gymnastics, or take up yoga. There are plenty of ways to keep fit during the lockdown. The key is to stay motivated and be consistent. I build little LEGO towers and “Eye of the Tiger” minifigs up them after each set (hey, it works for me, and yes, I’m mashing my Rocky references).
Get Some Sunlight
The PC screen doesn’t count.
See Friends
Sure, you can’t get out, but connect with friends however you can. Make time to hang out online and chat, check-in with friends you’ve lost contact with, or better yet, spend some quality time with those in the same house as you. Maybe set some new records in the bedroom (wink wink).
Watch Less Anime
Just kidding. But now that I have your attention, let’s talk about that: attention.
Your Attention is Valuable
Everyone wants your attention. If they’re selling something, then holding your attention gets them closer to your pocket. Trust me on this, I spend a good deal of each day trying to figure out how to get you to read our articles and buy from our store. This is one reason why there has been a deluge of free content on the Internet right now — it’s a marketing strategy. Okay, it’s also a nice thing to do, and my games collection is eternally grateful, but I’m starting to personify my Steam library, so let’s get back to the point. Attention spans are notoriously limited, I know mine… squirrel! Wait, focus! Let me rephrase my point: your attention is valuable. Just make friends with a young kid and you’ll quickly see how valuable the attention you pay them is. What I’m saying is, don’t expect to watch every season of every anime and play every Final Fantasy game and spin-off during the lockdown. Pace yourself and spend your attention as if it was hard cash. Anime burnout isn’t something involving hentai and friction.
Carry On
I love our soon-to-be-highly-valuable-and-rare Megumi support stickers, especially our Rosie the Riveter inspired “We can do it” sticker. You don’t have to read too deeply into the history books to get the feeling that people were doing the best they could during the war years, despite worries over loved ones on the war front, rationing, and other incredibly stressful changes to their way of life. That doesn’t mean sticking your head in the sand and carrying on as if nothing has changed, it just means doing what you can with the time and resources you have. If you’re a student, put real effort into your studies, if you’re working, persevere, whatever you were doing before, now is the time to up your game. Effort fought out against opposition pays off, and I’ll bet that’s something Rosie would agree with.
It’s a Mind Game
I’m a motivational nerd. My Pinterest home feed is full of advice and motivational snippets, most of which is the sort of advice you’d probably regret taking. Pinterest knows I’m a sucker for motivational gems, even if their algorithm isn’t smart enough to stop serving up the turds with the diamonds. See, the brain fascinates me. I’m the sort of person who believes that you can achieve whatever you set your mind to, and I’m too stubborn or stupid to realize otherwise. We really can do great things when we put our minds to it, but our brains can also let us down. If things are looking gloomy, if you’re feeling down, channel some Bobby McFerrin or Anna Kendrick and focus on the good things. Once you let yourself over to the dark side, it’s all downhill from there.
And again, lockdown isn’t the time to be an ostrich with your head in the sand. The real world and its problems still need your attention, just spend those attention dollars wisely.
Stay well!
